I'm Not Pretending Anymore, I'm Gifted

The commotion from Sibu Hall was not insignificant, naturally drawing the gathering of yamen runners within the yamen, but they were all dispersed by the Forbidden Guards.

By the time Ren Qing woke up, it was already the early morning of the next day.

He only felt a chill throughout his body, his clothes soaked through by the damp dew.

Looking around, Ren Qing found himself in a familiar, dilapidated temple, and his expression immediately stiffened.

He turned his head toward the center of the temple, where a four-armed, six-eyed statue sat cross-legged, with large swaths of dust swirling around it.

He didn't dare to disturb it and obediently waited off to the side.

After about two hours, Song Zongwu's cultivation finally came to an end, and he slowly stepped down from the Lotus Throne.

"Greetings, Senior Song."

Song Zongwu patted Ren Qing on the shoulder and said, "Are you interested in joining the Forbidden Guards? I can be your guide."

"Senior Song, this humble one's strength is truly limited."

Ren Qing forced himself to refuse, gritting his teeth. Originally, he had planned to lie low until he reached the Ghost Envoy Realm, but of course, if Song Zongwu insisted, there would be no way around it.

Song Zongwu waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned, and then asked curiously, "Besides the Human Skin Book, you should have mastered other techniques, right? Have you reached the Half-Corpse level?"

"That is indeed the case."

Ren Qing knew he couldn't hide it from Song Zongwu, so he readily admitted it.

After all, the room was left with a large number of traces of battle, and even though the intrusion of the Muscle Giant had obscured some of it, that didn't mean it couldn't be detected.

He simply revealed the double pupils in his eyes, using this to ensure the Divine Feet Scripture wouldn't be exposed. If he were mistaken for having ties to the Bloodhound Gang, he feared he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

And if the Bloodhound Gang learned that Ren Qing had mastered the Half-Corpse level of the Divine Feet Scripture, they would certainly move against him as well—the consequences would be endless trouble.

Song Zongwu was filled with surprise inwardly.

He hadn't taken Ren Qing seriously before, but now he discovered that the other party could be considered exceptionally gifted.

Back in the prison, Ren Qing should have just barely entered the Martial Human Realm, and the change in his pupils wasn't very obvious.

But now, how much time had passed? He had already reached the Half-Corpse Realm. Could it be that his physique happened to align perfectly with the technique?

Song Zongwu asked, seemingly calm, "Which technique do these double pupils come from?"

Ren Qing couldn't help but pause, then quickly caught on.

Even Song Zongwu couldn't recognize the double pupils, which meant that not many people cultivated the Eye-less Method, and even the direction of the Double-Pupil User's aberration was unprecedented.

Thinking about it, that was indeed possible.

Many techniques have harsh prerequisites, and throughout history, the number of cultivators who mastered them was likely very few, to the point that not all aberration branches had necessarily been uncovered.

Ren Qing answered vaguely, "I'm not sure either. It's a nameless technique I obtained by chance."

"..."

The corner of Song Zongwu's mouth twitched slightly. If he had heard before that someone could grope their way into the Half-Corpse Realm on their own, he would have dismissed it as nonsense.

Because the risks of cultivation were everywhere; one misstep and you'd face Dao annihilation.

"Your luck is good. When a technique breaks through, it's very likely to encounter a Tribulation, which contains great terror. It's said to be the intangible influence of the founders of the Primordial Arts."

"The higher your realm, the more careful you must be when breaking through."

Song Zongwu had another sentence he didn't say: that luck itself was part of talent, and even a major factor.

Ren Qing had never heard of the concept of Tribulations, but he already believed most of it in his heart.

No wonder, even if he cultivated a technique to minor success, the lifespan needed to advance using the Information Flow was always constant.

So the function of the Information Flow also included eliminating the tribulations during realm breakthroughs.

Ren Qing probed cautiously, "Is there a conflict between self-cultivation and devouring Eerie Objects?"

Song Zongwu thought much more highly of Ren Qing now, so his explanations were especially patient, far beyond what was recorded in the "Chronicles of the Thatched Cottage."

"For example..."

"Just like relying on the Eerie Object of the Human Skin Book to master a technique, then to break through to the Half-Corpse Realm, you must have an Eerie Object of either the Skin Peeler, the Skin Refiner, or the Herder.

And for the Skin Peeler to break through, they would need the Eerie Object of the 'Death Substitute Bone Demon.' Devouring a different aberration path only leads to a dead end."

Song Zongwu said earnestly, "On the surface, devouring Eerie Objects seems like a shortcut, but in reality, it's a road of no return."

The higher the realm of the Eerie Object, the higher its intelligence. Even if you could fully control it, the degree of aberration would be uncontrollable.

This uncontrollable aberration would even spread to every part of the body, including every piece of flesh and bone.

This would make self-cultivation extremely difficult, because the body would have no room left for the technique to develop further.

Simply put, the foundation would be drained dry.

"You still have leeway. Focus on the double pupil technique from now on. As for the Human Skin Book, don't think about advancing it, even if you obtain the corresponding Eerie Object."

Ren Qing felt that without someone to guide him, cultivating techniques under normal circumstances would definitely lead to death without knowing how.

He couldn't help but ask curiously, "When I usually beat my body with a wooden stick, I can clearly feel my skin becoming tougher. Is this the effect of the Human Skin Book?"

Song Zongwu didn't think much of it. "Each aberration direction has its own cultivation method. Tempering the skin like this, over time, will gradually steer you toward the Skin Refiner path."

"The Skin Peeler relies on peeling off their own skin and letting it regrow. The Livestock Herder is even stranger—it's said they can turn living people into livestock."

Ren Qing nodded.

He roughly understood the divergent branches of the Human Skin Book. The Skin Refiner was actually more like the Golden Bell Shield Iron Shirt—the most normal of the lot.

This made Ren Qing's heart itch, stirring the thought of advancing the Human Skin Book.

Song Zongwu said regretfully, "Because of the Human Skin Book, you can't cultivate any techniques involving the body. For your third technique, you could choose something related to the internal organs."

He didn't know that Ren Qing's Human Skin Book was mastered through the Information Flow, so it didn't actually affect him.

Ren Qing continued to press him on many cultivation-related questions, only stopping when the midday sun had set.

Song Zongwu also gave Ren Qing a general idea of the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone.

During this time, although Song Zongwu didn't bring up joining the Forbidden Guards again, he repeatedly hinted that he could teach Ren Qing techniques related to the internal organs.

Tempted by the benefits, Ren Qing held fast to his principles and firmly refused all techniques, but Song Zongwu still saw through his little scheme.

Song Zongwu couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Even if you mastered a technique, so what? Is Sanxiang City going to rely on a mere Fire Worker like you?"

Ren Qing's expression turned a bit awkward. "Then I'll thank Senior Song for his kindness."

Song Zongwu paused his tone. "Besides, this time the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone will be mobilizing the yamen runners anyway. The stewards of every street can't escape it."

Ren Qing stubbornly tried to refuse, but Song Zongwu continued, "Don't worry. It's just sealing off the perimeter. We won't enter without full certainty."

Ren Qing had no choice but to nod. "About when will we go to the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone?"

"Within ten days. This matter can't be delayed. Fortunately, it's not too dangerous for the yamen runners."

After saying this, Song Zongwu prepared to leave. Before going, he reminded him, "When you have time, look over the Blade Martial Art. It'll be of some use."

"Senior Song, I always feel like something's missing from the technique?"

Song Zongwu chose not to answer directly.

"You can also try cultivating the Human Skin Book in the direction of the Skin Refiner. Even if you can't break through to the next realm, at least it'll strengthen your strength."